Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad ~ OiMu Chim Namul

I like cucumbers a lot and always add them to salads or to raitas. Sometimes I eat cucumbers as my evening snack. When I saw this spicy cucumber salad, without even a second thought added it to my list of Korean side dishes I was going to make for Korean meal for this month’s “Around the World in 30 Days with ABC Cooking”. I made it spicy and served it as a side dish along with my bibimbap. If one wants to add it to bibimbap, then make it less spicy. I did not have Korean chili powder on hand and used the Indian red chili powder that I use for my everyday cooking. This recipe is so flexible that one can adjust the ingredients as per individuals taste.

Source: Omma’s Kitchen Video
Preparation: 40 minutes (30 minutes is to dehydrate the cucumbers)

Ingredients:

• 3 Mini Seedless Cucumbers or Kirby Cucumber (I used mini cucumbers)
• ½ – ¾ teaspoon Salt
• ⅛ teaspoon Sugar (I left it out)
• ¾ teaspoon Korean Chili Powder (I used about ½ teaspoon regular chili powder and check note below)
• ¾ teaspoon Sesame Oil
• ¾ teaspoon Sesame Seeds toasted
• ¼ teaspoon Mirin (I used Brown Rice Vinegar)
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon minced Garlic
• 1 – 2 tablespoon chopped Green Onions or Scallions

Preparation:

• Slice the cucumbers, apply salt and keep aside for 20 – 30 minutes. This released water from the cucumber and makes the slices crunchy. To know if the cucumbers are dehydrates, take a slice and bend it. The slice should easily bend. If the slice is still hydrated, it won’t bend easily and will not be flexible.
• Wash the slice in water. If the cucumber is salty, let it soak in water for few minutes and then rinse.
• Squeeze out water from the cucumber slices and put it in a bowl.
• Add rest of the salad ingredients and toss. Refrigerate until ready serve.
• Since this is a spicy cucumber salad, it is best served as a side dish with Korean barbeque and bibimbap. If going to add it to bibimbap, make it a less spicy.

Note:

• I didn’t have Korean Chili Powder on hand and used the chili powder instead. My chili powder is spicy hot and used only ½ teaspoon Even that was a bit spicy but I liked it. Adjust chili powder to taste.
• Make the salad less spicy if going to added it to bibimbap